Flowerovlove
Joyce Cissé, known professionally as Flowerovlove, is a British-Ivorian singer-songwriter, producer and model. She debuted in 2020 and has since released three EPs.
She won Artist to Watch at the 2022 A&R Awards and New Artist at the 2024 Music Week Women in Music Awards. In 2022, she was named one of VEVO's Artists to Watch and The Forty Five's Future Five, and named Future Artist of the Month by BBC Radio 1 in 2023.
Early life and education
Cissé was born in London to Ivorian parents and grew up in South London and Essex, speaking Mandingo at home. In 2022, she was attending a sixth-form college where she was pursuing A Levels in English, French, and History.Music career
2020–2022: ''Think Flower'' and ''A Mosh Pit in the Clouds''
Cissé started making her own music at the age of six and has memories of writing song ideas, in a notebook her aunt gifted her, as early as 10. However, it was not until the COVID-19 pandemic that she decided to pursue music professionally.At the age of 15 in August 2020, Cissé released her debut single "Kiss & Chase"; "Unseen Miracles" and "Fat Wave" followed later in the year. She released her debut EP Think Flower in May 2021, which caught the attention of music manager and FAE grp vice president Jesse Dickson, who signed her shortly after. The EP features production and songwriting input from her brother Wilfred Cissé and Isaac Levine. She claimed care for the planet and humanity inspired the EP, with several songs referencing nature. She had her first live gig at Laylow the following month. In August, Cissé released the lo-fi rap single "Malibu", which amassed over 3 million streams, and then the psychedelic pop track "Saturday Yawning" in December.
In early 2022, Cissé released the singles "I Love This Song", "Will We Ever Get This Right", and "Hannah Montana". The former featured in the launch campaign for Hailey Bieber's skincare line Rhode, and its amitybloc-directed music video received a nomination for Best Pop Video Newcomer at the 2022 UK Music Video Awards. In November, Cissé's second EP A Mosh Pit in the Clouds was released, which included contributions from the Invisible Men, Dan Smith, Wilfred Cissé, and GG. The EP was accompanied by the singles "Get with You", "I Gotta I Gotta", and "Out for the Weekend". Also that autumn, Cissé made her UK live television debut performing the EP's second single "I Gotta I Gotta" on BBC's Blue Peter and supported Role Model on his tour titled TourX.
2023–present: Signing with Capitol and ''Ache in My Tooth''
Cissé had her first headline dates in early 2023, with support from Lexie Carroll and Kilu. This was followed by performances at Primavera Sound, TRNSMT, Latitude Festival on the BBC Sounds stage, Standon Calling, Boardmasters Festival, and Pukkelpop. In September, she performed for Mulberry.On her 18th birthday, Cissé signed with Capitol Records. She released the singles "Love You", "Coffee Shop", "Next Best Exit" and "a girl like me" in 2023 and "BOYS" in 2024. "Love You" ended up on the season 3 soundtrack of the Netflix series Heartstopper, in which Cissé credited Heartstopper fans for making that happen, while "a girl like me" gained popularity on social media for its queer-inclusive bridge.
Cissé made her debut at the 2024 Glastonbury Music Festival on the Park Stage. She also performed at Tramlines Festival, Kendal Calling, and Camp Bestival. Through Capitol, Cissé released her third EP Ache in My Tooth that October, with the singles "breaking news" and "erase u" ahead of its release. For the EP, which tells a chronological story "about different types of love", Cissé collaborated with the likes of Skyler Stonestreet and Amy Allen.
Modeling career
For a time, Cissé worked a model, partaking in campaigns for fashion brands such as Gucci, Pangaia, Maison Kitsuné, and Swarovski. She walked multiple fashion weeks, including Paris Fashion Week for the clothing line Xuly Bët. Cissé named Grace Jones her "main fashion icon".Artistry
Interested in pop from a young age, Cissé grew up in listening to Frank Ocean, One Direction, and Justin Bieber as well as ABBA and Boney M through her mother. She said One Direction's "Best Song Ever" helped her realise the "power of music… creative visuals", as the group "didn't just release a song, they released a world". As she grew older, she developed an interest in indie music, citing Tame Impala as one of her main influences, particularly their albums Lonerism and Currents, as well as the Strokes and Strawberry Guy. She told Wonderland in December 2021:Arielle Lana LeJarde of The Fader and Daphne Chouliaraki Milner of Atmos described Cissé's initial work as a blend of different genre influences, including bedroom pop, trap, neo-soul, dream pop, indie rock, pop punk, and psychedelic. Ella Chadwick of Hunger corroborated that Cissé's second EP had "an injection of pop punk".
Regarding her 2024 singles, Cissé told Flood magazine: "I've always wanted to go a little bit more pop, but there will always be a twang of alternative". One of them, "breaking news", was inspired by Rex Orange County's "Loving Is Easy". In an interview with NME in the lead up to her third EP, a series of "glitter gel pen" pop love songs, Cissé talked about the assumption she has a "Willow Smith or a soul vibe" because "I don't make that kind of music, I make pop... there's a space to be filled for a Black girl in pop".